History

Habsburg jaw caused by intermarrying

A group of fourteen surgeons and geneticists have confirmed that the distinctive Habsburg chin in the Spanish Royal Family resulted from their inbreeding.  The Habsburg dynasty dates back to the eleventh century when the Counts of Habsburg ruled areas of present-day Switzerland. Through successive generations of advancement and intermarriage with different royal families, branches of the…
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FashionQueen CamillaState & Ceremonial

The Cullinan Diamonds - the gems that will take the lead role at the Coronation of Queen Camilla

There will be several important pieces and jewels on display at King Charles and Queen Camilla’s Coronation on 6 May at Westminster Abbey. Three stones, in particular, will be on display in the Abbey when The Queen wears Queen Mary’s crown, the Cullinan Diamonds. Buckingham Palace has officially announced that Queen Mary’s crown has been removed from the Tower of London, where it is…
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Belgium

King Philippe of Belgium and his unique relationship with the church

King Philippe of Belgium will be marking a decade of kingship in July 2023; he took the throne after his father abdicated in 2013. Philippe’s role as sovereign has a different relationship with the church than many other monarchs. Belgium does not have a state church. As of 2018, over 60% of Belgians identify as Christian, with 57% of the population identifying as Catholic. As monarch…
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British Royals

The Coronation Emblem is revealed

Buckingham Palace has just shared the official Coronation emblem.  The design draws on the four home countries of the United Kingdom, and their symbols. The four national flowers have been used to form St. Edward’s Crown: the English rose, the Scottish thistle, the…
The Netherlands

Dutch royal visit lands in Sint Maarten

The Dutch Royal Family is continuing on their tour of the Dutch Caribbean and landed in Sint Maarten on Monday, 6 February.  King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands briefly switched royals to his “other” job and co-piloted the plane that flew the Dutch royals to Sint Maarten for the final leg of their Caribbean tour. The King shared in 2017 that he had been flying as a pilot for the Dutch…
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